Marc Chagall

Click here for works by Marc Chagall

Marc Chagall was one of the leading painters of the 20th century, born in present-day Belarus and later active in France. He is known as an important painter of the École de Paris, a movement of artists active primarily in Paris. He depicted a fantastical world full of memories of his homeland, Jewish culture, love, and poetic sentiment with vivid colors, establishing his own unique poetic expression. He worked in a wide range of fields, including painting, printmaking, stained glass, and stage design, and his dreamlike imagery created a particularly distinctive world within 20th-century art.

1887 Born in Vitebsk, Russia (now Belarus)

1907 Studied at the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts (St. Petersburg).

1909 Studied at the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts (St. Petersburg).

1910 Moved to Paris, where he interacted with Fernand Léger, Modigliani, Delaunay, Apollinaire, and others.

1914 Held his first solo exhibition in Berlin, showing the influence of Cubism.

1915 Married Bella, his compatriot, and lived in Russia after the October Revolution.

1917 Returned to Paris and established his unique mystical and supernatural style.

1922 Created a collection of copperplate etchings, "My Life," in Berlin.

1923 At the request of art dealer Vollard, he created copperplate etchings for Gogol's "Dead Souls" and La Fontaine's "Fables."

1931 Traveled to Palestine to produce the "Bible" series.

1941 Escaped Nazi persecution and sought exile in America.

1944 His beloved wife, Bella, died in America.

1945 The Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Art Institute of Chicago held retrospective exhibitions.

1948 Produced the print collection "Arabian Nights."

1950 Acquired French nationality and moved to the South of France.

1952 Remarried to Valentina Brodsky.

1954 Began creating the lithograph collection "Daphnis and Chloe."

1956 Produced lithographs on the theme of the circus; published the copperplate etching collection "Bible."

1958 Produced the lithograph collection "Bible."

1963 Created the ceiling painting for the Paris Opéra. Held large retrospective exhibitions in Tokyo and Kyoto.

1966 Donated the major work "Message Biblique," a series of 17 paintings, to the French Republic.

1967 A major retrospective exhibition was held in Zurich and Cologne to commemorate his 80th birthday.

The Louvre Museum held the "Message Biblique" exhibition.

1973 The Musée National Marc Chagall Message Biblique (now the Marc Chagall National Museum) opened in Nice.

1976 The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, held a solo exhibition.

1985 Died in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, Southern France.

Museums around the world, such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Centre Pompidou in Paris, vied to acquire his works.